Third Form (Sixth Grade) Summer Reading

Required Book For Students Entering Grade 6 (Third Form) in September

Required Reader #1: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

From Goodreads, “When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her…”

Complete one of the three projects described below:

Write a persuasive essay defending your answer to the question: Are AI and robots good or bad? Please include examples from the book to show your reasoning.
Draw three situations that Roz encounters, one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end, and offer the lessons that Roz learns from each episode.
Build a diorama within a shoebox of your favorite scene from the book. Please include a paragraph explaining what is happening in that scene and why it was your favorite.

In addition, a short unit will be focused on The Wild Robot to start the year.

Choose and read at least 2 other books from the list below:

You may use audiobooks to supplement your reading.

Choose and read at least 2 other books from the list below After Required Reading (see above)

Choose and read at least 2 other books from the list below. Then, complete a project described below for one of the chosen books.

This is a project in which there is no right answer or solution; however, you must get creative! It is your job to creatively display these ideas, conveying that you read the book and have thought about the main character(s).

Possible examples of projects: a diorama, model, doll, poster, mobile, a Venn diagram, a pie chart, movie, anything of that sort. Consider the setting of the book. When does the story take place? In the past, future, or even our own world? How does this influence the way you see the story and main characters. When thinking back on the main character(s) of the book of your choosing, what comes to mind? How do they succeed? Journey? Learn or grow? Even change for the worse?

An Elephant in the Garden: Inspired by a True Story
An Elephant in the Garden: Inspired by a True Story. By Michael Morpurgo. From Goodreads, “With Lizzie’s father fighting in World War II, her mother takes on the job of a zoo keeper to provide for her family. Lizzie, her mother, and her eight-year-old brother Karli have become especially attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene. The bombing of Dresden is imminent and soon, so the zoo director explains that as a precautionary measure all the animals must be destroyed so that they’re not running wild through the city. Lizzie’s mother persuades the director to allow Marlene, the elephant, to come stay in the family’s garden.

As predicted, Dresden is bombed, and the family, including Marlene, is forced from the city. Lizzie and her family aren’t alone. Thousands of Dresden residents are fleeing to find somewhere safe to stay. Lizzie’s mother has to find a different route out of the city to keep the elephant and the children safe from harm. Once they reach the abandoned home of their relatives, they come across Peter, a Canadian navigator who, by putting himself at risk of capture to save the family, gains their trust.

This unlikely grouping of family, elephant, and enemy turned ally come together beautifully to illustrate the importance of love, resolve, and hope.”
A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn. By Patricia Newman. Illus. by Natasha Donovan. From ALA Notable Booklist. “ A century after the damming of the Elwha River, members of the negatively impacted Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and activists joined forces to remove the dams and restore the local ecosystem.”
Amal Bound
Amal Bound by Aisha Saeed. From Goodreads, “Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal’s Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when–as the eldest daughter–she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn’t lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt.”
Bomb
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin. From Goodreads, “In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned 3 continents. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb.”
Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor
Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor by Temple Grandin. From Goodreads, “In Calling All Minds, Temple Grandin explores the ideas behind all of those questions and more. She delves into the science behind inventions, the steps various people took to create and improve upon ideas as they evolved, and the ways in which young inventors can continue to think about and understand what it means to tinker, to fiddle, and to innovate. And laced throughout it all, Temple gives us glimpses into her own childhood tinkering, building, and inventing.”
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. From Goodreads, “Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.”
Fish in a Tree
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. From Goodreads, “Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker.”
Frizzy
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega. Art by Rose Bousamra. From ALA Notable Booklist. Tired of getting her hair straightened at the salon, Dominican American Marlene goes to her aunt for affirmation and hair care tips. This graphic novel challenges societal beauty standards while celebrating naturally curly hair. (The 2023 Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award winner)
Front Desk
Front Desk by Kelly Yang. From Goodreads, “Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?”
Hello Universe
Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. From Goodreads, “In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act normal so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren’t friends -- at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.”
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. From Goodreads, “Set in an exotic Eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Salman Rushdie's classic children's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. In this captivating novel, Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.”
Melissa
Melissa by Alex Gino, previously called George. From Goodreads, “BE WHO YOU ARE. When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part. . . because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte – but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.”
Schooled
Schooled by Gordon Korman. From Goodreads, “Homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie. But when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a school counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school.”
The Boys in the Boat
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) by Daniel James Brown. From Goodreads, “For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler.”
Tournament Trouble
Tournament Trouble by Sylv Chiang. From Goodreads, “All twelve-year-old Jaden wants to do is be the best at Cross Ups, the video game he and his friends can’t stop playing. He knows he could be―if only he didn’t have to hide his gaming from his mom, who’s convinced it will make him violent. After an epic match leads to an invitation to play in a top tournament, Jaden and his friends Devesh and Hugh hatch a plan to get him there. But Jaden’s strict parents and annoying siblings, not to mention a couple of bullies and his confusing feelings for his next-door neighbor Cali, keep getting in the way!”
Unsettled
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. From Goodreads, “From Pakistan to Peachtree City—Nurah’s stirring story of finding your place. When Nurah’s family moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, all she really wants is to blend in, but she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, and she’s left to eat lunch alone under the stairwell until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts. Stahr covers her body when in the water, just like Nurah, but for very different reasons.”
When Stars are Scattered
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson. From Goodreads, “Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.”